On the eve of the Eve of Chinese New Year (yes, that is the eve of the eve) the people of Taiwan worship the Jade Emperor. From about 11:00 PM to midnight, every family sets up a "baibai" (worship) table. These New Year baibai tables are similar to the bi-monthly baibai tables set up by the Taiwanese, except that the New Year tables have these long yellow streamers to be burned to the god, all the red papers to be hung over the doors in the home, and it is done in the darkness of night not at dusk.
For that hour, the people of a neighborhood will walk from home to home to compare the tables to see who has a bigger chicken and more goodies, to see who had a better year that year. They will take a fist full of incense, hold it in front of their faces and bow to the god, then let the incense burn on the table.
At about midnight, they will get out the "burning cans" (don't know their name) to offer the paper money and yellow streamers unto the Jade Emperor thanking him for the year past and hoping he will be happy with their offering so the year to come will be blessed too.
Please pray that the Taiwanese people will soon join together in neighborhood groups not to compare chicken sizes and worship a false god, but to share with each other what the King of kings and Lord of lords is doing in their lives as they join together to worship Him, the one true God. Please pray for the salvation of the Taiwanese people--of whom over 98% do not know Christ as Savior.
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